The Christmas House (6 page)

     Michael’s attorney grabbed his arm and explained that the property was a steal
for what he purchased it for and to just go along with the closing since it was already approved.

    
Martha spoke up and said, “Michael, if you would like, I can lower the price of the house some more?”

     Her attorney stated, “No, you can’t do that Martha. If you do that at this time, the closing has to be rescheduled and all of the timetables are invalid. A new closing date may not be rescheduled until June.”

    
“Thank you Martha, but don’t be silly. You have already done so much for us I could not and will not accept any more. I will find a way to make the payments. Let’s get on with it,” Michael said.

     As the closing agent continued to discuss the details of the mortgage, Arianna gazed into Michael’s eyes and saw his apprehension and fear in reference to the increased mortgage payment. She was no longer working and the baby was due next week. Michael was
on his own to not only pay for the house but to also move them into the house, as well as fix up and remodel the home
. Michael was already under an extreme amount of stress and it just increased tenfold in the blink of an eye.

     As the closing agent finished the summarization, Michael’s attorney started to disperse papers for him and Arianna to sign. As he handed them each a set of documents, he explained what they were signing. Michael signed each document without hesitation. He didn’t hear a word his attorney said to him about each document. He was only thinking about how he could generate an additional $1500.00 per month to pay for the house he was in the process of buying.

     His attorney placed another document in front of Michael and said, “This document is your promissory note to Miss Kennedy that states you will never demolish or destroy this house. Nor will you ever resell this house to another party unless that said party agrees to the exact same terms of this contract. You are allowed to remodel and build onto the house if so desired however the foundation of the home must remain in its original form. Violation of these promises
are
punishable by a lifetime of sadness and disappointment knowing that you have broken your promise to a generous old lady.”

     Michael and Arianna both looked at the attorney with a puzzled look on their face.

     “Well that’s what it says,” he said.

     They both turned and looked at Martha and she softly smiled back at them and raised her eyebrows. Michael and Arianna just smiled back and realized that she
was absolutely right. They were the type of people that would feel terrible if they were to go back on their promise.

     “And that’s it. Congratulations on your new home Mr. and Mrs. Carter,” said the closing agent as she startled Michael and Arianna who were still trying to comprehend Martha’s conditions of the sale.

    “That’s it?” Michael asked.

    
“All done.” said Michael’s attorney.
“Congratulations.”

     They all rose and shook hands. As they proceeded out of the room, Arianna said to Martha, “Do you need a ride or something Martha? Where are you going to live now?”

    “I have a cab waiting for me dear, but thank you so much for asking. I am moving into a retirement center temporarily until I relocate to be with my family,” Martha said.

    
“Family?
I thought you said at one time that you didn’t have any family Martha?” Arianna asked.

     “Oh, we all have family Arianna. Mine have been waiting for me to join them for a very long time,” Martha said.

     “Okay, well it has been a real pleasure knowing you. Can we come and visit you at the retirement center. David would like that,” Arianna asked as they continued to walk.

     “I don’t plan on being there very long dear. And with the baby and your new home you are going to be very busy. I will probably be visiting you long before you get a chance to visit me,” Martha said.

     “Why sure, that would be great. Please feel free to visit at anytime,” Arianna said.

     “Well, I don’t know about that. Maybe around the holidays,” Martha replied.

     “Sure, we would love to have you over for Christmas. Call us on Christmas Eve and we’ll come pick you up,” Arianna said.

     “Okay dear, I just might do that,” said Martha as she reached up and kissed Arianna on the cheek.

     Martha turned to Michael, who said not a word since the closing.

    
“Michael, it will all work out. I promise you that. Have a little faith and you will be surprised how much good fortune will come your way.”

     “Martha, I believe I used up all of my good fortune when I bought this house from you. My only concern right now is keeping it,” Michael said.

     “You will be able to keep it. Just never give up. There are people counting on you,” Martha said.

      “Yes I know. Arianna, David, the baby, the bank, the tax collector... They are all depending on me,” Michael said with a defeatist attitude.

     “Many more people than just those you mentioned need you to succeed Michael. You have no idea how important this truly is, but you will in time,” Martha said.

     “Thanks for everything Martha. We will visit you soon,” he said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek with a warm and gentle hug.

     Martha hugged Michael back and turned to her waiting cab that sat at the curb just outside the entrance of the building. Michael held open the cab door for her as she stepped inside. Martha waved to the both of them and said, “Love will find a way if you let it. I love you both. Take care and God Bless both of you.”

     As the cab pulled away, Michael and Arianna waved good-bye to Martha. The cab was soon out of sight. They began to walk back to their car parked in the parking garage located across the street.

     “Well, I guess we should probably go over to our house and start cleaning up,” Arianna said.

     “Yeah, I guess I will put the painting off for a while. We just don’t have the money right now.”

     As they continued to walk down the street Arianna continued the conversation. “But we still have some money in the bank right Michael?”

“Yes, but it’s only about $10,000.00. That will help make up the balance of the mortgage payment that we can’t cover right now. But it will only last a few months.”

     They entered the garage and Michael pushed the elevator call button.

     He continued, “When I did the inspection on the house I noticed that the furnace needed to be replaced as well as some of the electrical wiring in the house. Those aren’t cosmetic improvements. Those are things that cost big money. They are problems that can’t wait. The last thing I want is for our new baby to be in a cold a drafty house that is unsafe.”

     
“Well as soon as the baby is born and I feel well enough,” Arianna said to Michael as they exited the parking garage elevator and walked toward their car, “I will go back to work.”

    
“And who is going to take care of the baby? We don’t have any family and daycare will eat up 75% of your paycheck; why even bother?” Michael said.

     “Because 25% more income is better than nothing that’s why,” she replied and kissed him lightly on the lips.

     “How did you ever get yourself involved with me?” asked Michael. “Every guy in school wanted to date you and yet you picked me. What a mistake that was.”

     “Now you hold it right their Michael James Carter. If we can’t make it with this house than we will have to deal with it, but no matter what ever happens, I will always love you. Do you understand that mister?” Arianna said.

    
“Yes, I understand, but I still question your sanity,” Michael said.

     “Just drive the car and take me to my new mansion Mr. Carter,” responded Arianna.

Chapter Five- The Move

April 30th

Lake Forest, IL

     Since the closing, Michael, Arianna and David spent every evening and weekend at the house at 148 Festive Lane, cleaning, tearing down wall paper, ripping up carpeting and tile floors, rodding out plumbing and doing whatever else they could, that would not cost hard cash; only hard labor.

     Michael inspected the furnace thoroughly and found that it was not in as bad as shape as he originally thought. He replaced the flute and the filters after giving it a good cleaning. It seemed to make the difference and Michael was very pleased to have saved thousands of dollars that he would have spent for a new furnace. Unfortunately, with the electrical wiring he was not as lucky. As he inspected outlets and light switches he found frayed and bare wires that were a serious fire hazard.

     As he pulled the old wiring out and replaced it with new, he ran into problems with light fixtures and fuses. The old wiring was BX, long since outlawed by the building code standards of today, would have to be replaced with conduit that was now the industry standard. The wiring replacement would cost the thousands of dollars he saved by breathing extended life into the old furnace. It just seemed that every time he saved money on one problem, he ended up having to spend those savings plus more on another.

     The house was still a disaster area with walls ripped open and floorboards removed that left gapping holes that looked directly into the basement from the first floor. Michael barricaded the opening to alert anyone who walked in the area, but promised Arianna by the time the baby was
born,
he would have the floors repaired. Martha left behind several pieces of furniture including all of the guestroom furnishings as well as the grandfather clock that still chimed every hour on the hour as it stood ominously in the corner of the dining room.

     Arianna was still pregnant and she was not very happy about it. She was overdue by 21 days and felt like an overgrown watermelon. She managed to keep her depression and frustration a secret from Michael, for she already knew his plate was full. Michael worked double shifts at his construction job and worked side jobs on weekends when available. Between his work schedule and trying to fix up the house,
Michael was totally exhausted every night and fell fast asleep on the couch with the remote to the television still in hand.

     But this day, Michael was full of energy, because this day they were moving all of their belongings from their apartment to their new home. The lease for the apartment was up and they had to vacate the premises.

    
Michael drove the car to the moving truck rental facility at about 11:00 a.m. that morning. He left the car parked there and would pick it up when he returned the truck later that evening. He was already upset with himself because he overslept this morning and was running behind the rigorous schedule he planned for this day. He wanted to start packing the truck by 9:00 a.m. Here it was already 11:30 a.m. and he was just now driving the empty truck back to the apartment. 

     As Michael pulled into the driveway in front of the apartment, he saw David coming out of the apartment door struggling with another box.

     “David, just hang on a minute and I will help you with that,” he yelled out from the truck cab.

     “It’s okay Dad, I got it,” David replied.

     Michael parked the truck and jumped down from the cab. He ran over and grabbed the box from David just as he was about to lose his grip.

     “I got it buddy,” Michael said.

     “Well, I thought I had it,” David reluctantly admitted.

     “It’s okay David. You are doing a great job,” Michael said.

    
Michael started to arrange the boxes in the garage. Michael spent all night carrying the heavier boxes and some of the furniture down from the apartment to the garage to prepare for the move this morning.

     “Well, I have to get the larger pieces inside the truck first so I can fill in the empty spots with the smaller boxes so the load doesn’t shift,” Michael said out loud talking to himself.

     
David ran down the stairs and bolted into the garage.

    
“Whoa, David.
If you keep up that kind of pace you’ll be sleeping in the truck before we get the first load packed,” Michael said.

     
“Aw Dad.
I’ll go slower.”

     Michael needed to load the dressers, the love seat, the couch, the dining room table and chairs, the washing machine, the dryer and the refrigerator into the truck first. These were all heavy and large pieces. He knew that David didn’t have the strength to help much, but hoped that he could steady and help balance the weight of the items as they were moved. Michael would use a two-wheel cart to load the washing machine and other appliances by himself. Arianna came out to the garage.

     “Are you going to be able to move all of this yourself?”

    
“Yes, I can handle it. I have done it before,” Michael replied.

     “But I was helping you then and you were much younger,” she smiled.